The Stalker franchise consists of three games, with the fourth being released on November 20th, 2024. This is the fourth game in the series and comes out fourteen years after Call of Pripyat, which was released in 2009.
I played through the first hour and a half of Stalker 2 Heart of Chornobyl and it was exactly the single-player game that I have been looking for. The Map, the anomalies, as well as the safe areas are all full of life and genuinely feels alive.
I asked one of my close friends what he thought of the game, and he had this to say. “Stalker 2 is a perfect follow-up for a series of games that have been known for the gritty, realistic, post-apocolpiitc setting. The gameplay feels the same as the previous titles while also giving a fresh new spin on certain aspects. I would also say that it is far more friendly to people who are new to the game series, however, it doesn’t sacrifice any of its difficulty either. Currently, it runs well, but it does suffer from the bugs and performance issues that come from new game launches, but given time these will be fixed. The developers at GSC have made it clear that they will work on any issues that might arise. Above all, I think that Stalker 2 is an amazing addition to a long-running series of games that people have come to love.”
The gameplay was a little weird initially, but as soon as I got more into it, the controls came more naturally. I love the fact that there are no hit markers whenever you hit an enemy and there are no death noises, other than your firearm, so they’re alive one second and then the next their not. The mood of the game reminds me of Tarkov or Into the Radius, having to look around for ammo and other supplies such as food or drinks and syringes to help ward off radiation that is all around. The random encounters that happen as you head toward your first main objective were slightly surprising as most other games would try to ease you more into them, but the way that Stalker 2 does it was very well done. The gunplay is also a nice change from what I’m used to playing, with just having a single dot in the middle of the screen, making it almost impossible to hit a target without aiming down the sights. The audio is something that I also noticed almost immediately, as all of the natural sounds and sights were made prominent as soon as I exited the main tutorial area.
This game is a must play for anyone who is interested in survival games of any kind and you can find it on steam or on Xbox game pass.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1643320/STALKER_2_Heart_of_Chornobyl/
Nathan Dunn – Online Editor